Page 86 of Crazy for You
“Where’s Mia?” Georgia asked.
Grady rubbed his neck. “Still sleeping. I need to clean up this mess before I get grounded for a year.” He waved his hand around.
Red cups littered the floor and a couple of small tables that had framed pictures and silk flowers on them.Yikes!I could only imagine what the kitchen looked like after a night of beer pong.
“I’ll stay and help,” Georgia offered on a sigh.
“I would, too, but I have to get home.” I hugged Georgia. Then I said to Grady, “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “Colton filled me in. It’s cool.”
Once Colton and I were in his truck, I blew out a much-needed breath. “That went well. Not.”
He started the engine, laughing, a sound that erased the nerves that had settled in my stomach, at least for the time being.
34
The minute I walked into the house, I felt uneasiness in the air. I stopped by the leather couch and inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. That reality that had hit me earlier was back in full force. Dad wasn’t there. I clutched my chest, hoping the tightness would subside.
Stella mewled before she emerged from the hallway.
I grinned as she nudged her head into my leg. I’d never been so happy to see her. I bent over and picked her up. “Hey, girl.” I squeezed her to me. “Did you miss me?”
She purred her answer.
“I love you too.” I stroked her coat. “Where is everyone?” I wound my way through the house toward the kitchen. “Nan!”
“Skyler.” Nan poked her head out of Dad’s room down the hall. “We’re in here.”
Stella jumped down and took off in Nan’s direction as if to tell me it was okay. I wasn’t ready to go into my dad’s room yet. I wasn’t sure if I could. Still, I found it odd that Nan and my aunt were visiting in there.
I rubbed my lips together and rolled back my shoulders.I can do this. Sooner or later, I’ll have to anyway.An onslaught of memories accosted me as soon as I ambled in. Dad’s scent was ever present, and I swayed for a brief second as I focused on a picture that hung on the wall directly ahead of me of Mom, Dad, and me at a carnival.
“Skyler, are you okay?” Nan’s voice severed my trip back in time, and I turned to my left to find both Nan and my aunt staring at me.
Nan stood near a rolling cart that held the medical supplies we’d used, and her outfit said she had gone to Sunday mass.
I found a spot next to Nan. “Why are you in here?” I swung my gaze to my aunt.
She sat primly and properly on the bed. Her blonde hair was styled in a short cut that reached her ears. She wore a soft-blue blouse that brought out the same color in her eyes behind thin, brown-framed glasses. I could see Dad in her. “I’m sorry about your dad.” Her voice sounded as though she’d been smoking since the age of ten, but if she had at any point in her life, her smooth skin didn’t show it. It had been a few years since I’d seen her, and even though I wasn’t a fan of hers, I could hear the sadness and regret in her voice.
“Why are you here?” I asked as nicely as I could, trying to keep the nerves out of my tone.
“You didn’t tell her?” Aunt Clara asked Nan.
Nan’s rosy complexion paled as she squirmed. I’d never seen her jittery.
I crossed my arms over my chest. With Nan nervous and my aunt there, I could only conclude one thing. “Please tell me I’m not moving to California.”
Nan cleared her throat. “About that…”
I ground my back teeth. “No. I’m not leaving.”
She held up a hand. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m sure we will work it out.”
The room spun just the same.
“Your dad signed the updated forms for the trust and had them notarized since he wasn’t able to write well anymore.” Nan’s voice was shaky. “But apparently Mr. Wilson never received them. We think they got lost in the mail.”
